Kowar, who was reassigned to minor-league camp, impressed the Royals with his fastball velocity this spring, reportedly hitting 98 mph, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
This is a notable development for the 6-foot-5 righty. "I didn't think he was going to be a 97-, 98-, 99-mph guy," said Jim Buckley, a Giants scout who signed Kowar when Buckley was with the Royals. "That wasn't something we thought he was going to be. We thought the fastball would play up off the changeup because it's such a good pitch, but (not like this)." Kowar had a projectable frame when he was drafted, and it seems he has reached that projection. The big focus in camp and going forward will be the development of his curveball, as his changeup is a 70-grade pitch at its best. Kowar gave up two earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three in 3.1 innings before getting sent to minors camp. He could open the year at Triple-A and should reach the majors in 2021 at the latest.